This question arises at one evening when I and two friends of mine were going out to find a supper. We three were sitting in the car, seeking for what food is to be consumed as the stomach had been ringing and demanding Carbohydrate and friends. We talked about Marketing, how does it apply in the company (particularly MNCs), future’s plan, etc. And all of a sudden, one of them said something abruptly that I am not a Marketer-type enough for the fact he finds me too analytical and not filled by creative idea to provide solution. Perhaps, he thinks me as a Finance student (Finance and Marketing has been in a contention to sit at two different sides, they different at every aspect, one is too rigid and one is too liberal). This shocked me then for a different reality that I have been establishing my career as a student to be a young proficient marketer. I joined some Business or Marketing competitions, I won them at international level, and the fact that it does not seen as marketer-type enough was really surprising. I am not seeking for recognition, btw, but still it was a surprise.

7-semester has been passed, and proudly I am studying in the best Business School in Indonesia. Choosing Marketing as my major and that major is the first Undergraduate Major in Marketing in Indonesia. That being said, my self will be the first Marketing graduate (in Undergraduate degree) in this country. Lots of companies demand the marketing graduate and this is a real opportunity for my future plan. So, I took some activities which helped me create the path to reach what I have planned. Most of them, of course, are in Marketing field — except AIESEC where I sit as leader in its Talent Management department.

Based on that, I tried to define what aspect I am lacking at. I have never taken a matter of what people said, but when I do think it’s significant then I will consider it. So, here I go, doing a divergent thinking (a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions) of why this friend threw that saying. I found the fact afterwards.

Here is the facts that I think gave him the basis to speak:
1. In the car, we were talking about how creative and cool marketing is. So: Marketing is cool and creative. I am not really creative and as cool as George Clooney
2. Marketing often associates with someone who has no border in ideation (this is a new vocab, Oxford hasn’t put it in their dictionary, it means a process to find idea), do hang out often, liberal, know everything as if they are the master of knowledge on earth. So: Marketing is borderless in ideation, liberal, hang out often and master of knowledge. I never throw idea randomly and only ideate when it needs me to be, not hang out so often, not really a master of knowledge, but yes I am a liberal
3. Marketing is not rigid, it is flexible. I am rigid when it gives me no point or no reason in doing something. People really need to convince me by fundamental analysis in any Strategy Planning. So, wish your self a no when you can not provide me detail of your analysis. But yes I am flexible in life.

Those 3 facts might be the reason why I am not a marketer-type enough at his perspective But, he forgot one thing, once he joined an MNC and sit down in a room to brainstorming annual marketing strategy, all the facts above will turn to the opposite

P.S. This post is not meant to sound any anger, though it sounds so. It simply sounds my thought. The one who threw the saying is one of my best fellas in college, by the way.

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